At the request of the California Medical Association (CMA), United Healthcare (UHC) has delayed the expansion of its Clinical Data Submission Protocol in California. Originally scheduled to take effect July 1, the expansion will now be pushed back until September 2. 

First introduced in 2015, the program originally targeted only Medicare benefit plans and required physicians to submit all laboratory test results for UHC Medicare patients. The expansion of the program will require practices to submit laboratory tests for all UHC Medicaid and commercial benefit plans.

For more information about the protocol and requirements for submitting data to UHC, physicians should refer to the updated Clinical Data Submission Protocol Frequently Asked Questions and Methods of Clinical Data Exchange.

While UHC lauds the sharing of clinical patient data as an opportunity to support quality and cost-effective patient care, CMA has expressed concerns about the administrative burden, impact on physician practices and proper notice to physicians.

UHC has stated, however,that it will help practices establish the transmission method that works best with their current capabilities. For more information or to speak to the UHC clinical data team, contact the UHC Provider Call Center at (877) 842-3210 or your local Network Account Manager or Provider Advocate.